Friday, September 24, 2010

Eulogy for a Stray Cat

There are a ton of stray cats in my neighborhood, has been ever since I moved here 5 years ago now. In those five years, not much has changed, as seeing these critters run around is pretty much commonplace. Then a couple weeks ago, one stray decided to make my front porch his home. I've had cats crash on my porch before, but this one was different...he just wouldn't go the hell away!

So what do I decide to do with this wayward kitty? I fed him, and naturally, he decided to make his stay on my porch permanent. I got attached to him, as did Trish, so the next idea that popped in my head was "why not keep the little fucker?" And that was the plan. Trish helped me out quite a bit, even though I was in all honesty a bit apprehensive about taking another cat in as a pet (the last one, Rocco, sadly died about two years ago after clawing his way into a rat poison trap that I forgot about in the basement...still hating myself over that), but there was something about this one. Maybe it was the fact that he was friendly and was more than likely a housecat at some point in the past. Maybe it was because so many times I sat outside to smoke a cigarette he decided to hop on my lap.

In any case, I made the trip to the vet to get him checked out after I decided I was going to keep him. The news wasn't good at all, as he was already progressing in FIV, the feline version of HIV, which is highly contagious among felines. His immune system would progressively get worse and worse over time, and he would end up dying a slow, painful death. So, I decided that it would be best for him to be put down. I won't lie and try to act like my usual hardass persona here, I admit I shed the first tear I've shed in quite some time, over this nameless stray cat. In my heart I know I did the right and humane thing, but that doesn't change the fact that he as an animal didn't deserve to be shuffled out on the street.

The point I'm trying to make here is that if you own an animal, whether it be a cat, dog, or even a fucking squirrel (hello hillbillies), cherish it, love it, and treat it like it should be treated: with care and respect.

Rest well gray stray cat, I wish I could have done more for you.



Back to dick & fart jokes in a few ;)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The 25 Albums That Didn't Make The Cut

The other day I posed a blog citing my personal top 25 albums. Condensing all the albums I love and have loved into one small list wasn't easy, especially when there were so many more that didn't make the final cut. So here, in no particular order, are 25 more albums that didn't (and perhaps should have) make the final cut, enjoy!

"Walk Among Us" - The Misfits

"Static Age" - The Misfits

"Reign in Blood" - Slayer

"Seasons in the Abyss" - Slayer

"Countdown to Extinction" - Megadeth

"...And Justice For All" - Metallica

"Facelift" - Alice in Chains

"Dirt" - Alice in Chains

"October Rust" - Type O Negative

"Purple" - Stone Temple Pilots

"Portrait of An American Family" - Marilyn Manson

"Smash" - The Offspring

"The Crow" Soundtrack

"Burn My Eyes" - Machine Head

"The Downward Spiral" - Nine Inch Nails

"Astro Creep 2000" - White Zombie

"Screaming For Vengeance" - Judas Priest

"Rage Against the Machine" - Rage Against the Machine

"The Marshall Mathers LP" - Eminem

"Beneath the Remains" - Sepultura

"Chaos A.D." - Sepultura

"Sublime" - Sublime

"Urban Discipline" - Biohazard

"Cleansing" - Prong

"Aenima" - Tool



There are certainly a few more that I could have included, but I think that this pretty much sums it all up for me in a nutshell...bitches!

Monday, September 13, 2010

My 25 All-Time Favorite Albums

Recently (AKA last night) a friend of mine on Facebook wrote a note of her top 15 albums, which I have decided to semi-rip-off here for my own intents and purposes (sorry Steph :P). There is an eclectic mix here to be sure: metal, punk, hip/hop, industrial, goth, and some just plain old funky shit too...

So here's a countdown of my 25 all-time favorite albums that I still cherish today...

25. "In Utero" - Nirvana

24. "The Fragile" - Nine Inch Nails

23. The "Sid & Nancy: Love Kills" Soundtrack

22. "Mother's Milk" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

21. "The Chronic" - Dr. Dre

20. "Ten" - Pearl Jam

19. "Nothing Wrong/Blow" - Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

18. "Melissa" - Mercyful Fate

17. "White Pony" - Deftones

16. "Bloody Kisses" - Type O Negative

15. "Badmotorfinger" - Soundgarden

14. "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath

13. "Far Beyond Driven" - Pantera

12. "The Colour and the Shape" - Foo Fighters

11. "Songs for the Deaf" - Queens of the Stone Age

10. "Deliverance" - Corrosion of Conformity

9. "Rust in Peace" - Megadeth

8. "Pretty Hate Machine" - Nine Inch Nails

7. "Master of Puppets" - Metallica

6. "Disintegration" - The Cure

5. "Superunknown" - Soundgarden

4. "OK Computer" - Radiohead

3. "NOLA" - Down

2. "Vulgar Display of Power" - Pantera

1. "Ride the Lightning" - Metallica



...and there you have it...

...fuckers! :)

Saturday, September 11, 2010

9/11/01 - Nine Years Later

No matter how hard you may want to try, you can't forget where you were that day...

Personally I can't believe that it was nine years ago that I was a senior in high school, sitting in Journalism class waiting for the bell to ring to go to my next period Algebra class. It was towards the end of class that Mr. Swisher (one of the guidance counselors) came into the room and told our teacher Mr. Levan to turn on the TV. It took a while to sink in at just what I was seeing on the television screen that morning, something that still seems so unbelievable even to this day nine years later.

In the nine years since 9/11, what's really changed and what has really been accomplished? We went to war (which for all intents and purposes hasn't and won't end, regardless of whatever "official" declarations are made) and what did it solve? Nine years, a gasoline crisis, raging prices, and a shitty global economy...other than all that, nothing has changed.

The horror of 9/11 is something that by all rights and purposes should have united us as a people and brought us together, but instead all that it did was amplify racial and religious prejudices and further divide us as a country. Left wings, right wings, conservatives, liberals, Tea-Party douche bags, whatever...we always find a way to label a group of people, when what we should have done is attempt to achieve everything we can to overcome and abolish labels and unite regardless of any skin color or theological differences. Instead, here we are as a people getting pissed off over a mosque being built around Ground Zero (which in all honesty can be understood, but that's a topic for another day) and an asshole pastor in Florida wanting to burn Qurans to garner media attention.

Next year will be a decade since 9/11. A decade...let that sink in. It's hard to believe that it will be ten years next year since everything changed. Even harder to believe that after such a tragic event, we would be characterized by a presidency that only further crippled us as an economic power and a country as a whole, followed by a president who has been marketed as being a glimmer of hope and that has only thus far turned out to be a hype-heavy media magnet. Regardless of what side you classify yourself as, it can be agreed upon here that nine years ago today all those innocent people and the heroes who risked and sacrificed their lives trying to save them all died senselessly...and any honoring of their memory only gets shit on more and more each passing year that we continue not to truly unite and set our differences aside for the greater good, as cliche' as that may sound.

As it stands right now, united or divided, we fall.

In loving memory of all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Things That Have Been Pissing Me Off Lately...

I've been in a bit of a pissy mood as of late. No personal drama going on or anything of that sort, but lately I've just found myself getting automatically pissed off at random times of the day over various things.

Things that have been pissing me off lately include, but are not limited to:

College freshmen

Douche bags that live in their parent's basements that have more PS3 trophies than I do

Douche bags with popped collars

Douche bags that cause other Italians to be labeled as "guidos" even when they're not (ahem)

Douche bags in general

Ultra-conservatives

Timothy Patrick Snyder

94 WYSP for playing the exact same shit for the past decade

AT&T for wanting to charge me out the ass for getting an iPhone

The job market

People who get drunk and feel the urge to sing

The kid who shot me in the ass tonight with a fucking Nerf gun

People who type on their laptops in coffee shops

The asshole who took my lighter

People who give me weird looks on the bus/subway when I'm playing Mario Kart on my DS. Go fuck yourself

Michael Bay for making another Transformers movie

Shia LaDouche for being in another Transformers movie

My comic book script for seeming a lot better as an idea in my head than it is when put to paper


...that's all for now, but I assure you that there will be more!

Suck it!